


In the Name of Honesty

by stevens-gem-family (live_from_new_york)



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Pearlmethyst Week, Prompt: Blanket
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 01:02:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21235553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/live_from_new_york/pseuds/stevens-gem-family
Summary: Written for the 2019 Pearlmethyst Bomb, Day 3: BlanketsSteven doesn't trust Amethyst with his possessions, but Pearl doesn't quite understand why. Amethyst just wants Pearl to understand her.





	In the Name of Honesty

Finally bundled up in their winter coats, thick scarves, and warm hats, Connie and Steven ventured out into the snow. They looked at each other, with matching grins, before running out down the stairs. Steven stuck out his tongue, catching a large snowflake on it. He turned, mouth wide and tongue extended, towards Connie. “Thee? I goh one!” 

Connie laughed, sticking out her tongue to catch the snowflakes as they fell onto the beach. After a minute, she paused, thinking about something she had noticed before they’d walked outside. 

“Okay, Steven… I don’t know a ton about gem biology.” She said, putting on a serious face. 

Steven turned to her, an amused smile on his face. He raised an eyebrow, “Me neither. I don’t think any of us do. I mean the Gems obviously do, but us organic-types don’t.”

Connie nodded, “Exactly. But Pearl knows that kind of stuff, right?”

“Right… Why wouldn’t she?” Steven paused his spinning, not understanding exactly where Connie’s train of thought was headed.

“So she would know that gems can regulate their own body temperatures? The same way their forms automatically adjust to a new planet’s gravity.”

He chuckled hesitantly, “I’m starting to think you might understand more than I do somehow, Connie.” 

“I guess what I’m getting at is: why did Pearl take the blanket off your bed just to give it to Amethyst?” Connie had a mitten covered hand on her chin and her thinking-face appeared in the wrinkles on her forehead. 

His face fell, “That was my blanket?” 

She raised an eyebrow at him, her way of saying ‘duh’ without verbalizing it, “Yeah, I mean- I don’t know anyone else who has a Crying Breakfast Friends themed blanket. Especially not in your house.”

He groaned before running back up the stairs towards the house, “Pearl!” He cried as he flung the door open.

She didn’t startle at his intrusion, only lifting her head innocently from the laundry she was folding on the floor. “Yes, Steven?”

“You stole my blanket!” He pointed a finger at Amethyst’s sleeping form on the couch. His voice was whiny and Connie, who had barreled in through the door a few seconds behind him, felt herself grimace. 

Pearl lowered the shirt she was folding, “I- What? Steven, no, I just-” She put a hand to her temple, closing her eyes in frustration, “All I did was borrow your blanket for Amethyst while she was napping.” 

“But gems don’t even need blankets!” 

Pearl stood, setting her arms akimbo, “That doesn’t mean they don’t feel nice. You know Amethyst had a rough day, what’s the harm in letting her borrow it just once?” 

Steven’s face fell and Connie placed a hand on his shoulder, “Aww, man… I’m never getting that blanket back.”

“What makes you so sure?” 

“Amethyst is just gonna drag it back to her room when she moves from the couch,” he gestured towards the entrance to the temple, “And there’s no way I’m getting it back from one of her piles. It’s exactly what happened to my cool DogCopter hat we got at OceanCon.” 

“I was wondering why you never wore it.” 

Steven grumbled as he left the house and went back out into the snow. Connie called a rushed goodbye to Pearl before she dashed out the door after him. The door clattered against the frame, and Amethyst stirred on the couch. 

“What’s all the noise for?” She asked in a low growl, “Can’t a girl get a good nap around here?”

“Oh hush, Amethyst.” Pearl said, with a coy smile, “You were asleep for hours. If Steven’s commotion hadn’t woken you up, Garnet warping back would’ve. It was inevitable.”

“Inevitable, schmevitable.” Amethyst stretched as she sat up, feeling the blanket fall to the floor. “What the heck? When did I get the Depressed Food Guys blanket?” 

Pearl didn’t respond, choosing instead to pick up a pile of Steven’s shirts and carry them up into the loft. 

“Aww… P, did you get me a blanket?” Amethyst crooned from below.

Pearl didn’t turn around, “What makes you so sure it was me and not Steven?”

Amethyst’s laugh was punctuated with a loud snort. “He’d never give me this blanket! Not after I lost his hat… somewhere.”

When Pearl didn’t immediately answer, Amethyst made her way up the stairs, carrying the blanket, to stand behind her. Pearl stiffened, just barely, as Amethyst hovered over her. 

“Be honest… did you give me this blanket?” She set a hand on Pearl’s shoulder, rolling her eyes. “What? Do you like, care about me or some junk?” 

“Is that so hard to believe?” Pearl stood, suddenly, and her sharp words made Amethyst trip over herself. Her voice wasn’t angry, just… frustrated. Hurting? Pearl pulled the blanket out of Amethyst’s hands, before folding it and setting it on Steven’s bed.

Amethyst just stared at her for a moment. “Woah, dude, I didn’t mean to-” 

“I know,” Pearl cut her off. She turned and walked down the stairs, Amethyst following closely behind. “It’s not a big deal, Amethyst.” 

“It is if you’re upset! Talk to me!” Amethyst groaned. This wasn’t working, she needed a new tactic. She wasn’t going to be able to live in this house if more people weren’t on speaking terms. Especially if one of those people was her! Pearl had kneeled in front of the laundry pile again, pulling a shirt off the top to fold. 

“Pearl,” she kneeled next to her, gently taking the shirt out of her hands, “Thank you for the blanket.”

Pearl didn’t respond. Amethyst took her hands and held them firmly. “I was trying to be funny earlier, but I think I hit a nerve. Can we start over?”

Pearl still said nothing. 

“I guess I’ll play both parts,” she said with a hesitant laugh. “Here goes, okay?”

She held up her hands like shadow puppets, trying to get a laugh out of Pearl. Or a snicker. Or even just a disappointed sigh. Instead, Pearl just watched her. She hesitated. 

“Um… who gave me this blanket?” Amethyst said in a cartoony voice. 

Pearl finally reacted, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “Why does the puppet version of you have a weird voice? It would just be your normal voice.” 

“See!” Amethyst said, dropping her hands, “This is so much easier for both of us if we just talk normally.”

“Yes, I see.” Pearl rubbed a frustrated hand over her forehead. After a moment, she continued quietly, “I didn’t appreciate your comment earlier.” She didn’t meet Amethyst’s eyes. 

“I totally get that now. Look, I’m doing the emotionally mature thing! This is going great, it’s my turn now. I’m sorry I was a jerk and made fun of you for doing something dorky and sweet.” 

“I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel like I don’t care about you.”

“Whaaa? Pearl, no! I’ve never thought that. I mean, not in like the last thousand years at least.” Her crooked smile grew when Pearl didn’t argue, “You care so much about everyone, and we don’t even deserve how awesome you are.”

“I suppose my feelings towards you have changed in the last one thousand years,” she admitted with a wry smile. 

“I think you lost me there,” Amethyst said, laying back against the laundry pile. 

“Amethyst! Those are all clean, get up.” Pearl’s level of exasperation was comfortingly normal, so Amethyst tested the waters rather than sitting up. 

Instead, she asked, “Which feelings?” Her instincts to be suspicious and inappropriately goofy were at war inside her. 

“Feelings like frustration. Frustration that you’re laying on perfectly clean clothes.” 

“And what else?” She asked, sitting up, leaning in towards her. “We all know I frustrate you. Give me the juicy details.” 

“There aren’t any ‘juicy details,’” a confused look crossed her face as she leaned slightly back. 

“Are you sure?” Amethyst suggestively wiggled her eyebrows, matching Pearl’s retreat with a steady advance. They continued like this until Pearl fell backward off of her heels, catching herself on her palms. Amethyst swung her leg over Pearl’s waist and adjusted until she was hovering over her. 

“Amethyst, what has gotten into you?” Pearl stammered, a flush coming over her cheeks, “I promise, I’m fine.” 

“Oh, I know you are.” Amethyst toyed with the idea of winking in that split second but decided against it when Pearl gave a small ‘ugh’ in response. “Pearl, you gave me a blanket, while I was napping on the couch.” 

“...so?” She tried to appear nonchalant but struggled underneath Amethyst’s gaze. “It’s just a blanket.” 

“Hmph. Even after all my years of flirting, it’s just a blanket?” As Pearl sputtered, she continued, “There wasn’t even any subtext there? Bummer.” Trying to keep her disappointment casual, she pushed herself upright, sitting back on her heels. Her shrug was forced but convincing. 

“Years of… flirting? Flirting with me?” 

“At you, if we’re being honest.” Amethyst looked away, wishing this whole conversation had never happened. 

“Well, in the name of honesty then.” Pearl paused. Then, she sat up as best she could with Amethyst still straddling her. She reached a hand up to Amethyst’s cheek, turning her head gently until their eyes locked. And then she pulled Amethyst’s lips down to meet hers, and Amethyst fell forward over her again, and they were really kissing. Amethyst’s hands braced themselves on either side of Pearl’s shoulders. Pearl slid her hand from Amethyst’s cheek to her neck, and she pressed herself closer to her warm body. 

Then they broke away, Amethyst’s forehead resting softly against Pearl’s gem. 

“The blanket worked.” Pearl breathed out slowly. 

Amethyst laughed, “What? This was all some evil scheme to get me to kiss you? A derpy kids’ show blanket?” 

“Ah… no. That was spontaneous. But honest. I meant the blanket worked, you were… warm. Although… now that I think about it, that might not be the direct cause. The properties of heat aren’t necessarily at play the same way with you and me as they are with Steven.” 

Amethyst’s laugh shook her so hard that she fell to the side, pulling her leg off of Pearl and laying on the floor next to her. “Can we do this again sometime?” 

“Which part?” 

“All of it. Especially the kiss. Maybe next time, we can kiss under a blanket. See what that does to the properties of heat.” And then Pearl was on her side, pulling Amethyst into another soft kiss.

“I suppose that could be arranged.”

**Author's Note:**

> This spiraled out of control! Hopefully it still makes sense, haha.  
Come find me on tumblr @stevens-gem-family


End file.
